When Werner Design Werks agreed to redesign Planned Parenthood’s prescription delivery bags, they got a blank canvas—or, more specifically, a plain white bag.
The nonprofit reproductive healthcare organization was using generic paper bags to send out patients’ medications. They needed new packaging that had energy and was bold, just like their clients. “The home delivery of medication and birth control in particular just kind of gets flattened,” said Sharon Werner, creative director and owner of Werner Design Werks. “No one ever really pays attention to it.”
So how could they get people to not just pay attention, but also feel excited by what they receive in the mail?
With a relatively open creative brief, Sharon and Sarah Forss, designer at Werner Design Works, explored how they could design packaging that would embody the personality of Planned Parenthood patients.
The nonprofit sent the team a list of words they felt described the people that use Planned Parenthood for their reproductive health needs—descriptors like forward-thinking, imaginative, and fearless. From there, Werner Design Works did something they don’t typically do for their projects; they created a mood board.
“They don’t ever seem to work for us, but in this case, they actually did,” Sharon admitted. “We created mood boards that would dial up the ten words they sent us. If you look at this mood board, then responsible and smart come to the forefront, or if you look at this mood board, then artistic and imaginative come to the forefront. We did this to see which elements would resonate for the project, and the one Planned Parenthood picked was ‘bold, driven, and fearless.’”
This board worked well since it wasn’t overly feminine like one or two of the other boards (people of all genders rely on Planned Parenthood), and most importantly, it got to the heart of the design—a strong, confident message. The messaging is the real driver behind this project, so the inspiration was about finding words and phrases that were bold and positive—and having that manifest itself in the pack’s look and feel, too.
“Planned Parenthood feels firmly that their patient base is very strong,” Sarah said. “That’s the message they want to reinforce, is that they are strong, powerful people in control of their lives. They know what they’re doing.”
The paper bags previously used were recyclable, and Werner Design Werks wanted the new packs to be just as environmentally friendly. They explored reusable options but knew that people would receive their prescriptions and refills multiple times a year—and how many reusable items would patients realistically hold on to? It was decided that first-time patients would receive a reusable canvas pouch, but the following deliveries would be recyclable. The agency landed on a 100% post-consumer waste recycled and recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable paper bag.
“We worked closely with Franklin Press and told them that we love the experience of a plastic pouch, but we don’t love the environmental aspects of that,” Sharon explained. She hoped they could somehow develop a paper bag that felt distinct and one-of-a-kind, something beyond a typical paper bag. “We looked at a lot of Japanese packaging books since they do so many amazing structural things with paper, like origami. We wanted to do something with paper but make it a more interesting form.”
Still, the design couldn’t compromise on function and had to hit many other checkboxes. “There were so many variables that had to go into one package,” Sarah added. “It had to be flexible to fit a wide variety of sizes. It had to be economical. It had to, ideally, get produced domestically. It had to look good once it went through the mail. And it had to be easy to fill at the fulfillment center that loads these up and mails them out. It couldn’t be something that required assembly or folding; instead, it had to pop open so you could just drop the items in.”
After a series of prototypes, Franklin Press delivered. The bag they created lays flat as an envelope until it’s ready to fill, and all it requires is a little bit of pressure on both sides to pop it open.
The finishing touches for the Planned Parenthood prescription bags make it an even more polished and thoughtful experience. Refill notices or other notes to the recipient get attached to the bag once it’s closed, ensuring that patients see it. And rather than using staples to secure the bag shut—which can tear the packaging and the contents—Werner Design Werks chose to close the bags with a simple hair tie. It’s an easy solution and something handy that you really can never have too many of.
Still, Sharon and Sarah emphasized that the messaging was the heart of this design and precisely what made it such a standout at Dieline Awards 2021 as they walked away with the coveted Editor’s Choice Award. It’s all about how patients will receive this in the mail, and it will make them feel pride in their choices. “Planned Parenthood is for taking control of your health,” Sarah said. “They’re there to care. They’re there to help you take control because it’s your body and your choice.”
“It came down to the one line on the package that says ‘You got this.’ It’s like having a friend there telling you that you made the right decision. That’s the core of it.”
